1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to the field of athletic equipment, and more particularly to race identification number belts of the type commonly worn by runners and other athletes to hold race-number bibs during running competitions and other events.
2. Description of Related Art
Instead of using safety pins to attach a race-number bib to their clothing, many athletes prefer to use a race-number belt. A typical race-number bib includes an 8-inch by 6-inch sheet of paper on which a race identification number appears, while a typical race-number belt includes a woven-elastic belt with bib-attaching components on it. The athlete buckles the belt around their waist, adjusts the buckle to size the belt for their waist, unbuckles and removes the belt, and then manipulates the bib-attaching components in order to attach the bib. With the bib attached to the belt, the athlete can quickly and conveniently don and remove the combination of the belt and bib when desired while avoiding various disadvantages of safety pins.
Various existing race-number belts use different bib-attaching arrangements designed to accommodate the differing preferences of users. U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,324 describes one such belt. It includes two ⅛-inch by 3-inch elastic pieces that are also referred to herein as “elastic cords.” Each elastic cord has a proximal end that is stitched to a one-inch woven elastic belt so that the elastic cords are thereby held on the belt in spaced-apart locations. The athlete threads the free distal ends of the elastic cords through two existing quarter-inch diameter mounting holes spaced apart about 6⅞ inches on the upper portion of the race-number bib and then secures the bib in place on the belt by sliding mini cord locks onto the elastic cords.
Many athletes prefer such “cord-fastener attachments,” although others prefer the race-number belt described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,444. It describes a race-number belt having two snap-fastener assemblies instead of elastic cords (i.e., “snap-fastener attachments”). Each snap-fastener assembly includes two snap-fastener subassemblies that snap together in the usual manner of snap fasteners, but with the bib held in between. They are subsequently referred to as a first stud-receiving socket subassembly (a female component) that receives and engages a second socket-mating stud subassembly (a male component). The athlete places the bib against the stud-receiving socket component of each of two first subassemblies on the belt, and then forces the socket-mating stud component of each of two second subassemblies through the bib and into engagement of a respective one of the socket components, with the bib crushed in between and thereby secured in place on the race-number belt.
Both belt types are popular. The problem is that a cord-fastener belt providing cord-fastener attachments does not accommodate athletes preferring a snap-fastener belt having snap-fastener attachments, and vice versa. Thus, there is a need to overcome this problem.